Wrath of Ares
by Vulcanos
Summary: Perseus seeks his secret enemy, who has kidnapped his son in an effort to break the hero once and for all.
1. Chapter 1

Wrath of Ares

(I own nothing)

Perseus had come home from a long venture across the Aegean Sea to find his son Electyron missing. He was curious, and wondered if he had been sent on some great adventure, or taken one on his own to prove himself to his father. His wife, however, told him otherwise. Electyron had disappeared in the night about a week before, leaving no indication of who he was with or where he had gone. He went to his son's chambers on the first floor, to find chariot wheel marks and hoof prints leading up to the window, then away. There were no sandal imprints, however, and Perseus began to worry. What if his son had been kidnapped, stolen by some madman in a chariot? He bade the servants fetch his armor and sword, and bring it to his son's chambers at once. A breeze blew into the room, bringing up a faint smell he knew all too well; blood, suffering, and death. This cast into his mind a suspicion: Did a higher power, a minor god maybe, steal his son in the night? His wife recalled it had stormed gently that night, and she heard no chariots approach or depart. Just then, the servants came back with his battle garb, and he took it and told them to leave, and sent his fleetest of foot into the surrounding area to search for any signs of his son's whereabouts. He donned his armor and sword and set the shield into its place. He took his horse and set off for the nearby town of Argos to search for answers. He sought the Oracle of the city, and soon found it. He called upon Athena, wisest of the Olympians, to help him find Electyron. She spoke in a prophecy, the voice of the oracle gone entirely.

_The hatred of War shall ignite_

_An age-old, but deadly fight_

_The son of greatness, doomed to die_

_Away in a godly chariot shall fly_

_The father will search, he will seek_

_His old enemy, bringer of war and of chaos shall reek._

The oracle collapsed, the heavenly presence leaving her. Perseus knew then what had been done, and what he must do to gain his son back. He told himself that, if he must, he would scale Mount Olympus and bring his enemy Ares to his knees and leave with his child. And no force on earth, and only one in the heavens, could think of stopping him.


	2. Chapter 2

Perseus knew he couldn't take Ares alone, so he decided to get some help. Since Achilles' death in the Trojan War, his Myrmidon squad had been leaderless, but unified somewhat. He requested one last favor from Athena, and she granted it. She gave him the location of the Myrmidons through a vision. He thanked the goddess for her generous gift, and she left the Oracle, and the poor girl collapsed. He set off immediately for the lair of the slain Nemean lion, where the Myrmidons decided to make camp.

-Meanwhile, on Olympus-

Ares paced back and forth. His prisoner Electyron was asleep from a nasty blow to the head. He knew he would invoke the anger of the god of gods if he simply slew Perseus from here, so he decided to wake a few monsters to take care of him. "Now this will be fun to watch." Ares mused to himself, and drew a whistle crafted by Hephaestus to call whatever the user thought of or wake it, if the user so chose. Ares had acquired it through his normal violent means, and then blew the whistle long and loud. Just below the surface of the Earth far below, something began to stir.

-Back on Earth-

Perseus slowed down his horse, since he knew full well one must ride carefully and quietly through the swamps of Learnea. It was at this time that a fell cry akin to a roar came down on the wind. Perseus' horse bolted, throwing a surprised hero into the grass just off the path. His horse was not so lucky. A black, slimy, scaled head shot through the trees, literally through them, knocking them down, its orange, sleep-laden eyes now alight with hunger. It swallowed the fair steed in one gulp. The Learnean Hydra had awoken.

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	3. Chapter 3: The Hydra

The monster shook itself, and sent mud, muck and small creatures flying in all directions. It screeched, and Perseus was knocked flat by the soundwave. He looked up at it, and had to scramble onto the road to avoid being crushed by a chunk of swamp that fell from the monster. It exploded like wall under siege in a dirty, mucky mess, covering Perseus. This saved him, as the beast overlooked him initially, thinking him to be a chunk of swamp. This ruse didn't last long however, when he picked up his fallen shield and drew his sword, both glowing bright as if blessed by the gods. He turned to face the beast, a determined anger in his eyes.

One of the heads caught sight of this, and came screeching down at him, seeking to make him the main course for lunch with the speed akin to a lightning strike, but Perseus was ready. He knocked it senseless for a moment, the other heads too busy with eating forest creatures to really pay much attention. He then drove his sword into the heads one vulnerable place, an eye, and drove it until the edge protruded from the other eye. As he expected, the Hydra lifted that wounded head to avoid further damage to it, and Perseus held onto the hilt with his right hand and the blade, intertwined with his shield strap on his left arm. When it had reared fully, he withdrew his sword, now covered in blackish blood and goo, which left that head completely useless. While the other heads regrouped, he slid down the neck, and waited for them to notice him. They did, of course, and snapped down at him with frightening coordination. He dodged, parried, and counterattacked; this left one head missing a lower jaw, a second with one working eye, and the third remaining resembled a whipped slave. With a mighty heave, he turned the jaw teeth down. Then he pressed with all his might, driving its own jaw into the junction where all the heads first sprouted. Something crucial inside the beast was cut, and the heads went slack. Then the whole creature went limp, and crashed down clumsily into the swamp and forest again, dead.

He climbed off the beast, covered in Hydra blood and eye goo. He remembered his horse, along with all of his provisions, had been eaten by the Hydra. He sighed, and set forth, when he caught sight of something in one of its mouths. He looked, and somehow his pack, with everything he needed, all his food and other essentials unscathed somehow inside it. He thanked Zeus for his good fortune, and after dislodging it, carried on.

Leave reviews for what you want to see Perseus face next, and what can be better, and some positive stuff would be good too. J


	4. Chapter 4

With the Hydra defeated, Perseus set out for the Nemean Plain. Little did he know, his troubles were only just beginning. on the way, he fortunately had so far not encountered any noteworthy monsters. He came to the edge of the plain, and was greeted by an all too familiar smell: death. He scanned the field, and saw a hulking warrior standing atop a rock, menacingly brandishing a massive ax at the Myrmidons. The figure saw him and disappeared with a small poof, leaving the stench of battle behind.

This left one conclusion: Ares knew he was trying to recruit them, and was attempting to dissuade them from his cause. He approached one of them, whose crested helm signified his leadership of the group. three of them lay dead, brutal ax gashes mutilating the toned bodies of the dead. The leader looked up, anger in his eyes. "You brought this upon us! You caused these brave men to die. And now, you will join them." The remainder of the Myrmidons drew weapons and charged him from all sides. Perseus disposed of most of them easily. Then he found one odd tick:No matter where his blade struck true on his opponent, nothing happened. He struck from every angle he could reach, yet the captain stood unscathed.

The captain aimed for Perseus' head with a swing strong enough to fell a tree, but missed. The captain laughed. "ahahaha! You have no hope against me, Perseus. i am all but immortal! when our leader told of his secret to greatness, we were all eager to try. I was the only one among us here that had the guts to go through with it. But my spot is different than Achilles' was. You'll never reach it. Surrender Perseus, for you are beaten!" Perseus said nothing while the captain attacked and spoke, simply struck wherever he could, hoping to hit the "magic" spot that would render his foe powerless. He knew for sure he was in for a long, hard fight. For the first time, he considered the possibility of death.


	5. Chapter 5: Orthrus

Perseus knew his enemy now: Ares, the god of war. He had no time to wonder about why, he needed to get his son back. As he exited the valley where the Nemean lion used to prowl, he heard something distant, fell cry on the wind. He decided to worry about that later as he set his sights on the craggy slopes of Mount Olympus, where the war god was undoubtedly holding his son. He set off that way, having no idea what was coming.

In the forest not far ahead of Perseus, a large beast stirred from its century of slumber. It looked around to find the source of its caller, but found nothing. With food on his mind, he quickly picked up the scent of our hero, and decided then he would snack on an adventurer today. It carefully shook both of its heads, then slunk away, silent as the forest that soon enveloped it.

Perseus remembered that some old and dangerous beasts lived in this forest, and chose to tread lightly as he entered. It was suddenly quite dark the only real light coming from the slight dull gleam off his blade. He heard a noise to the right, something like a growl. He turned, sword ready, but saw nothing. With a loud rustle and another growl, the Orthrus leapt from its hiding place behind him, knocking Perseus down and sending his sword into the brush aside from him. It lunged with one of its heads, narrowly avoiding mauling the great hero's face. He could barely avoid one set of snapping jaws in his face, but two? Perseus was unsure he could survive this one. Just when he thought he was doomed, a bright light broke through the foliage of the forest, blinding the beast, but not Perseus. He seized this odd opening and shoved the beast off. With a power beyond human strength, he brought the blunt end of his shield crashing down onto one of its heads, crushing the skull completely. That head was destroyed, but the other was now very angry.

He fended off the crazed, wounded beast as best he could with his shield, but couldn't seem to make it back to his sword. Some say that Athena aided Perseus against the Orthrus, others simply say he fought strategically to win. Whatever the case, he beat the beast back again and again, wounding the other head. He found laying just shy of the brush where he landed his bow and arrows, which he had only now remembered through necessity. In an attempt to distract the beast, he hurled his shield at the Orthrus like a discus, catching it in the jaw, sending it backward howling in pain. He dived, and secured his bow. He drew, and fired. He hit it in the chest, but it kept charging. Shot twice, thrice, four times. It hardly slowed down, bloodlust and anger driving it into a raging frenzy. He evaded its first wild charge and continued firing on it. Finally, the beast fell dead to the ground, its anger destroyed.


	6. Chapter 6: Storm Titan Part 1

Perseus was worn, and he knew there was much more hardship ahead. He knew Ares was calling these old monsters from their slumbers, but he had no idea how he could. He set out for Olympus now with renewed purpose, a fire burning in his heart. The land around grew dark, as clouds blotted out the sun. These clouds were definitely storm clouds, judging by their shadows and magnitude. "This is not Zeus' doing. Something else is at work here." His voice was suddenly drowned out by howling winds and a sudden downpour of rain. His words were drowned out, as the clouds began to take shape into a monstrous shape he recognized from stories he'd heard as a child; a Storm Titan, a near-immortal creature towering to the clouds it created, capable of firing bolts of lightning as potent as the God of Thunder himself. His body was depicted as a mass of dark, swirling clouds, but this one showed more definition to his form. With the speed of the wind and the force of lightning the Titan smashed its fist down onto Perseus. He narrowly avoided being turned into a demigod pancake, but was still sent flying backwards by its sheer force. How could Perseus fight something Zeus almost could not?


	7. Chapter 6 Part 2

Perseus knew his situation was grim, and that he would likely be unable to stop his monstrosity. He also knew that there were plenty of places to hide, with the dense forest all around that should give him good protection from the monster, at least for a while. He took off for the forest, maybe a hundred meters away to his left. The Titan struck again, and narrowly missed once more, and fortunately sent him sprawling into the woods. "Where have you hidden, miniature hero? Come out so my winds can shred the flesh from your body!" Perseus found a small cave under a tree knoll, a somewhat sturdy oak tree nestled into a group. His winds howled and tore the forest apart, uprooting trees around him. Branches flew all over the place that was causing even more damage to the area around. "You cannot escape me forever, Perseus! My friend and I will find you, and we will kill you! I leave now, for I have orders elsewhere. We shall not meet on such friendly terms next time, Perseus!" With a howling shriek that nearly rendered him deaf, the Storm Titan had disappeared, likely to terrorize somewhere else. Perseus crawled out from his hiding place that was mercifully deep enough to avoid damage. He retrieved his fallen weapon from under a small pile of branches. "Ares is becoming very desperate if he is invoking the last Storm Titan to stop me. I must hurry on, Electyron's will cannot hold much longer, I fear." And he set off again, the base of Olympus in his sights.

-In a cave on Mount Olympus-

Electyron was unconscious in his cage, beaten and hurt from the torture Ares had been inflicting on him for continuous hours every day since his capture. What he didn't truly show, however, is that he was angry. This demi-pest had somehow killed his Hydra and Orthrus too. He even survived the encounter with his Storm Titan somehow, too, and the god of war was extremely unhappy. He knew that Perseus remained at least somewhat under the protection of Athena, and close observation of Zeus. "If I can't find a way to stop Perseus now, he could very well reach this cave, and if he remains under Athena's protection he would likely incapacitate me. I cannot risk direct combat with Perseus, no matter what happens." Suddenly the warmongering immortal got an idea. He grinned, and could hear and visualize the death of the so-called great hero Perseus at the hands of what he had still waiting on command. He blew a note on his god-forged whistle that was akin to a very inhuman screech that any hero would fear. "Perseus will meet his death today, I am sure of it." Ares mused aloud, and started to laugh.

-At the base of Olympus-

Perseus heard a fell screech from high atop the mountain, and his grip tightened on his weapon. "What else does Ares have under his command to face me?" he wondered, and started to climb the mountain.


	8. Chapter 7: The Harpies

Perseus had been journeying many a day without pause or rest, which inevitably slowed him down. Then there came an ungodly shriek from high above, well out of his sight. He instinctively raised his guard to shield himself from... whatever that was. The shriek resounded again, and Perseus nearly flinched. That one shriek was soon accompanied by another, than another, and still more as it rose to a earsplitting pitch of six different cries far above. As the winged monstrosities descended into his view, he recognized them as harpies, bloodthirsty woman/eagle hybrids with awful breath and attitudes to match. Not to mention if they served a powerful master that they would as a result be armed and armored, and these ones were armed literally to the teeth. Arrows from a pair of them screeched down, aimed at his head, but our mighty hero deflected them, staggering a little from the unexpected recoil. The remaining harpies seized the chance and dropped screeching down at him. Fortunately they were not well trained, so he was able to evade their attacks somewhat easily. He managed to cut one as it passed, wounding it. More arrows rained down, and this time missed badly. Another screeching strafe run resulted in one dead harpy with Perseus still unharmed. The next two attacks produced the same result as the demigod under Athena's favor continued to slay the weaponized ugly ducklings as they came. The archers had run out of arrows, and the last harpy held him back just enough to prevent his advance up the hill. "I must be drawing near to Ares' hideout, or they would have given up." He thought to himself. The other two harpies landed beside their comrade and drew swords. Without so much as a squawk of warning, they charged, swinging wildly. He cut down those two would-be attackers easily, as their armor was light to the point of being useless against his blade. The final harpy was the best armored of them all by far, and wielded a long, glowing red sword. "Enchantments? That can only be the work of-" The harpy swung in a murderous diagonal arc aimed for Perseus' head, a strike that likely would have felled a normal hero. He met the blade with his shield, which cut almost clean through it, and set his shield alight. This sword was definitely augmented with powerful fire, so powerful only the forge of Hephaestus or the unbridled hatred of Ares could create. The harpy attempted to yank her blade free of the shield, only to find it stuck. Perseus wasted no time, seizing the advantage. He twisted his shield am, forcing the creature with it. With a blindingly fast stroke, he severed her arm at the shoulder. The harpy screeched shrilly in anger and pain. He saw now on its face not anger, but fear. With another mighty strike, he decapitated the harpy, sending its head careening to the ground far below. He opted to keep using his damaged shield as a means to prove to ares how far he'd come, but took a backup just in case as well. With that, the bloodied birdwoman beheader trekked upward, the cave he desired just out of sight.


	9. Chapter 8: Electyron Part 1

Perseus had kept going on for only the sake of his son, focused solely on getting his son back, and destroying whatever stood in his way. He met no resistance as he trekked up the steep incline. After countless hours of wandering upward, he spotted a cave that glowed with a ruddy red light, humming and pulsing before vanishing, a cry of fear and pain resounding through the cave and directly to the ears of our hero. The cries were his sons, there was no doubt. He saw a war chariot lashed securely outside the cave, seeming to float. "ARES!" Perseus cried in anger. "Face me, the one you truly desire to fight! He is not your concern anymore." Perseus was physically and emotionally worn and battered, but only the strength of sheer will (and likely some godly help) kept him from falling all but dead on the spot. He saw no land route to the cave, so he knew he would have to jump the gap that separated him from his hated enemy. Before he accurately judged his likelihood of survival, he broke into a run and leaped with everything he had across the widened gap. He landed on both feet surprisingly easily. He whirled toward the interior of the cave, searching from top to bottom for what he sought so bad. His eyes came to rest on his son, bloodstained and badly beaten. Yet he held a sword made of what could only have been volcanic metal, the heat of the volcano from which it drew power flowing through the blade, and an awe-inspiring shield made of gleaming bronze that seemed to crackle with energy as he shifted it in his hands, gaining a proper grip. But it was his eyes, the eyes of a son he never thought he would see again, that struck fear into the hero's heart. Electyron's eyes were a bright red, with flames bright as if they burned in front of him glowed there. It was not his son anymore.


	10. Chapter 8 Electyron Parts 2 and 3 FINALE

**A/N: This is parts 2 and 3 compiled together, for those that are curious. And so begins the final battle!**

"Hello, father. You look surprised to see me. Are you not happy that i have returned to you?" The voice was not Electyrons, but the voice of the war god that inhabited him, and used the statement to unnerve the great hero. Perseus stood firm and replied, "Ares, my son is not what you desire anymore. I'm here. Let him go free, he has done nothing. This fight is only between the two of us!" Ares/Electyron laughed cruelly, the harshness resounding in the cave. "ah, Perseus, but he is important. He told me of everything you taught him in combat, which in turn tells me what you have yourself learned. I know every move you will make. The blessing of Athena will not work here, nor will Zeus' watchful eye find you on his own doorstep." He charged at Perseus, blade drawn back in a crosswise arc, shield covering the torso entirely, forcing Perseus to avoid the godly strike. The blade came crashing down just as Perseus dived to the side, missing by not even an inch. The force it was swung with rattled the cavern. "Stand and fight, demigod! Or maybe you would prefer it if you were to live." He laughed again, and charged, the blade deflecting of the Mirror Shield. The blow knocked Perseus nearly to the back of the cave, and Ares, being mortally restrained, stumbled back. The shield that had saved him throughout his adventure turned to shards in his hands. Ares bellowed with triumphant laughter. "You are defeated! With no adequate shield, i will gut you like a fish easier than a knife slides through exposed flesh. Are you ready to die, weakling?" Ares charged him, and Perseus could at that moment only stand and wait. Just as Ares would have annihilated the heroic warrior, he dived to the right, causing Ares' sword to dig deep into the rock of Olympus. When he went to withdraw it, it snapped into countless pieces, as if suddenly made of glass. He looked down and saw there were indeed glass shards at his feet. "How is this possible? This sword was designed to be unbreakable!" Ares was howling with rage, not able to comprehend what had happened. "No matter. I'll just crush you to dust with my shield. You shall still die this day, pest!" He charged, bringing the edge of the shield toward him in a murderous arc. Perseus seized this moment to strike. He evaded the shield strike and delivered a pommel strike directly to the base of the neck, causing instant unconsciousness. Electyron slumped to the ground in a heap, but an essence floated out of him, which was Ares. He remembered a gift given to him long ago by an odd stranger apparently as goodwill: a jar said to be able to contain anything. He had chosen to carry this jar along in his travels, and now drew it out from his pack, which had somehow survived it all when he cast it off upon his arrival. He opened the jar, catching the essence in it. He had also in that pack trophies from the monsters he had slain: A hydra tooth, one of Orthrus' heads, and as for the Titan, he had the whistle he had used to summon all these creatures. He had chosen then to present this evidence to the gods of Olympus. He captured Ares in the jar, which rattled fiercely with his attempts to escape. Our worn, battle-weary but victorious hero carried his son over his shoulder and took Ares' chariot to the top of Mount Olympus, directly into their palace. The trip was short enough that his horses allowed Perseus to use them. When he arrived, a great hubbub started, and only Athena's allowing of him to remain there spared him of being turned to nothingness on the spot. He presented what he had to the Olympians, and Athena simply smiled knowingly as it went on. The greatest story ever told was then passed down from the Olympians to the mortal world through their Oracles, and Perseus was given a temporary status as an interim god while Ares served his punishment in Hades, under the watchful eyes of Zeus, of course. Perseus then spoke to Athena. "Why did you protect me on my journey, goddess?" She simply stated, "because watching Ares squirm is always so much fun."

**END OF BOOK 1**

**Book 2 will be coming sometime in November, maybe a little earlier. Thanks for staying with me, and be sure to review your thoughts, and what hero's story i should tell next!**


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